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 Definitions of motive  [ˈmoʊ tɪv]  

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Definition of 'motive' Random House Webster's College Dictionary 

1. (n.) motive
something that causes a person to act in a certain way, do a certain thing, etc.; incentive.

2.  motive
the goal or object of a person's actions:
Her motive was revenge.

3. (adj.) motive
causing or tending to cause motion.

4.  motive
pertaining to motion.

5.  motive
prompting to action.

6.  motive
constituting a motive or motives.

Etymology:  (1325–75; (< MF motif) < ML mōtīvus serving to move = L mōt(us) (ptp. of movēre to move ) +-īvus -ive)

Definition of 'motive' Princeton's WordNet 

1. (noun) motivation, motive, need
the psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal; the reason for the action; that which gives purpose and direction to behavior
"we did not understand his motivation"; "he acted with the best of motives"

2. (noun) motif, motive
a theme that is repeated or elaborated in a piece of music

3. (adj) motif, motive
a design or figure that consists of recurring shapes or colors, as in architecture or decoration

4. (adj) motive(a), motor
causing or able to cause motion
"a motive force"; "motive power"; "motor energy"

5. (adj) motivative(a), motive(a), motivating
impelling to action
"it may well be that ethical language has primarily a motivative function"- Arthur Pap; "motive pleas"; "motivating arguments"


Definition of 'motive' Kernerman English Learner’s Dictionary 

1. (noun) motive
a reason for doing sth
The motive for the crime remains a mystery.


Definition of 'motive' Webster Dictionary 

1. (adj) motive
causing motion; having power to move, or tending to move; as, a motive argument; motive power

2. (noun) motive
that which moves; a mover

3. (noun) motive
that which incites to action; anything prompting or exciting to choise, or moving the will; cause; reason; inducement; object

4. (noun) motive
the theme or subject; a leading phrase or passage which is reproduced and varied through the course of a comor a movement; a short figure, or melodic germ, out of which a whole movement is develpoed. See also Leading motive, under Leading

5. (noun) motive
that which produces conception, invention, or creation in the mind of the artist in undertaking his subject; the guiding or controlling idea manifested in a work of art, or any part of one

6. (verb) motive
to prompt or incite by a motive or motives; to move


Translation of 'motive' Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary 

Sense: something that makes a person choose to act in a particular way; a reason
What was his motive for murdering the old lady?

Afrikaans flag Afrikaans: motief Arabic flag Arabic: دافِع، حافِز Bulgarian flag Bulgarian: мотив
Brazilian flag Brazilian: motivo Czech flag Czech: motiv German flag German: das Motiv
Danish flag Danish: motiv; bevæggrund Greek flag Greek: κίνητρο, ελατήριο Spanish flag Spanish: motivo
Estonian flag Estonian: motiiv Farsi flag Farsi: انگيزه Finnish flag Finnish: motiivi
French flag French: motif Hebrew flag Hebrew: מֵנִיע Hindi flag Hindi: प्रयोजन
Croatian flag Croatian: motiv Hungarian flag Hungarian: indíték Indonesian flag Indonesian: motif
Icelandic flag Icelandic: tilefni Italian flag Italian: motivo Japanese flag Japanese: 動機
Korean flag Korean: (행위의) 동기 Lithuanian flag Lithuanian: motyvas, akstinas Latvian flag Latvian: motīvs; iemesls
Malay flag Malay: motif Dutch flag Dutch: beweegreden Norwegian flag Norwegian: motiv, begrunnelse
Polish flag Polish: motyw Persian flag Persian: انگيزه Pashto flag Pashto: دليل
Portuguese flag Portuguese: motivo Romanian flag Romanian: motiv Russian flag Russian: повод; мотив
Slovak flag Slovak: motív Slovenian flag Slovenian: nagib Serbian flag Serbian: motiv
Swedish flag Swedish: motiv Thai flag Thai: แรงจูงใจ Turkish flag Turkish: neden, sebep, dürtü
Taiwanese flag Taiwanese: 動機 Ukrainian flag Ukrainian: мотив, привід Urdu flag Urdu: مقصد
Vietnamese flag Vietnamese: động cơ Chinese flag Chinese: 动机

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'motive' - Nearby Entries  

motivation  motivative  motivator  motive  motive power  motiveless  motivity  



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